>> this is dw news live from berlin. tonight, calls for calm after tensions interest israel and iran soared. israel launched massive air strikes overnight on iranian targets in syria after rockets landed on israeli positions. coming up, he doesn't want his job back. carlos said he is not a candidate for the spanish region catalonia. we will go to barcelona for answers. and emmanuel macron is hened with the charlemagne prize for a new vision for europe. he says the new time to strengthen europe is it now. and they have set the date. u.s. president donald trump will meet north korea's supreme leader, kim jong-un.

and a dam burst in kenya, killing dozens under what has been described as a wall of water. the country is reeling from weeks of catastrophic flooding. we will speak with survivors who say they have lost everything. >> i am brent goff. tonight, worries that a new war may be in the making in the middle east. europe and the u.s. are calling for restraint after the most serious confrontation between israel and iran in years. last night, israeli air strikes hit iranian targets across syria in the biggest israeli attack on syrian territory in 40 years. it happened in the region you see right now, the dispute territory, the golan heights,

when iran reportedly launched rockets from syria toward israel. the prime minister of israel talladega the attacks were appropriate, accusing iran of crossing a red line. >> a fireball in the sky over damascus. syrian skate television showed theo images, said to be anti-air creekt weapons targeting rockets. israel said it hit 50 positions. prime minister benjamin netanyahu gave the justification. >> iran has crossed a red line. our response was appropriate. our army has carried out a large scale attack on iranian targets in syria. we are engage inside a long-term conflict and our policy is clear. we will not allow iran to establish a military presence in syria. >> iran provides political backing for bashar al-assad in the civil war.

israel says the strike was a retaliation for rocket attacks in the golan heights. they said they fired the rockets from syria, but none of them reached their targets. iran did not comment. casualties and damage caused reports vardy widely. >> the israeli rockets took the lives of three martyrs. two others were injured. a radar station and ammunition depot were destroyed. >> but syrian opposition sources say losses were higher with at least 23 dead. tensions remain high on the golan heights. the israeli army has sent reinforcements to its northern border. >> joining me now here in the stewed is a journalist and middle east expert. he is a familiar face here. i want to ask you about timing

here. this comes two days after donald trump pulled the u.s. out of the iran nuclear deal. is there a link here? >> i think so. let's not forget there have been israeli strikes on syrian sarah tone before. there have been targeted strikes against iranian officers of the revolutionary guard. this is not the first time it has happened, but the government of great deal and present netanyahu wants to use the momentum. he feels tail wind from trump's decision, and he wants to present himself as a strong and committed commander in chief. >> does it appear the israel is using the u.s. withdrawal from the deal to spur on hatred in iran towards israel? is that what you are saying? >> do you mean this could be kind of an attempt to provoke military action? >> yes. >> i cannot judge that. i think there maybe some domestic consideration for prime

minister netanyahu because he is under pressure domestically. but i don't think the israeli establishment is that stupid to be lured into things just for that. the red line speech is one of the very few consistent statements that netanyahu has given in recent months. he has said this before. >> israel said these strikes are in response to atalks from the golan heights. >> there are a number of inconsistencies here. one is the direct strikes of iran at the golan heights. which from the syrian point of view are disputed occupied territory at least. on the other hand, we hear israeli statements that say most if not all of the iranian infrastructure had been hit. then we hit only 23 people have died, and we know that some of them, at least that is what syrian news tell us, have been

syrian officers. so the number of iranians that were affected by this must have been rather low. this problem is in evidence that the iranian presence in syria is actually very sbroket. there is no mass of iranian troops in syria. but lie son officers, troops, revolutionary guards training. but they were aware such strikes would happen and they would shelter their people. they have suffered from opposition strikes over the last couple of years. >> in the past israel has not commented on its alleged strikes in syria. this time we have got prime minister benjamin netanyahu coming out with both a confirmation and a justification. what can we take from that? >> well, first of all, i think the mass any ofness of the attack -- the massiveness of the acan't takes. it is not easy to deny or not

comment on this. they did it in front of the entire world. the other, yes. i think the political message he wants to send is very clear. strikingly, many people in the arab world that i have talked to are undecided. israel has been the enemy, the sworn enemy for a long time. but at the moment i see a certain degree of sympathy to the israeli strikes because the hatred for iran and the iranian presence in the region is much higher at the moment and much more of a priority than the hatred -- the traditional hatred toward israel and the united states. >> that is a change isn't it? >> i wouldn't say that the arab street as we call it is really changing. but i think the trump administration and the israeli government have the illusion that the arab nations would be with them in this roll-back of

iranian presence in syria. but i think this will be much more difficult than they imagine it to be, oar what they tell the public. >> one headline i read, when is saudi arabia going to come out of the closet and help them? >> i don't think saudi arabia would dare a direct confrontation with iran in iranian territory. a couple of months ago we have been sitting in this studio and we were discussing this scenario last november. >> that is right. >> we were close to such a scenario when saudi arabia was taking the initiative. at that time the israelis did not want to fight the saudi war, at least not publicly. but at the moment we see very close coordination not only by saudi arabia, israel and the united states, and also the united arab emirates were part of this. but i don't think saudi arabian

iran would escalate a war at the moment. everybody is fine with fighting proxy wars at the moment. >> daniel, as always, we appreciate you coming in and sharing your insights. thank you. >> thank you. >> well, the government of russia and germany have criticized the escalating tensions in the middle east and underlined their intentions to preserve the iran nuclear deal despite american withdrawl. the russian foreign minister stressed that the remaining signatories to the deal should discuss how best to keep it alive. they expressed how germany would use close ties with iran to convince them to stick with the deal. >> there may soon be a break-through on that seven-month impasse over who wilt lead a new catalon

parliament. carles puigdemont has renounced his candidacy for the role. he has endorsed a newcomer in his play. they have been unable to agree on a leader since the alexa. they must pick a leader to form a government by may 22 to avert new alexas. >> we are standing by in the cavalon capital of barcelona. why is abuja saying this? isn't this the job he wanted to have back? >> hello, and welcome from barcelona. it is legally impossible for puigdemont to be president again. that is why he chose a new candidate next week to be the next president. it is important to mention, as

you said that on may 22, a new president in catalonia. if there is no new president, there will be new alexas that would take place in july. that means article 19.5 that suspends government could continue until july unless they have a president by the 22nd of may. >> let me ask you about person that puigdemont propose today. what do we know about him? who is this person? >> he is a close ally of puigdemont. he is a kehl tral acts vista and fits with the strategy of the pro independence parties to be a pro virble -- provisional

president. he fits with this strategy. >> what is going to happen to carles puigdemont? >> well, we don't know because all the prime independence parties say he is a legitimate president. kim could be a breach with puigdemont. but he could come back to brussels. we don't know the task he could have in the new government. they will have a new president probably elected next week. >> our report from barcelona tonight. thank you very much. >> well, the french president, emmanuel macron, has challenged european governments to unite in an increasingly complex and troubled world. speaking, he said the idea of

european integration has been thrown into doubt. whether or not it lives or dies, that is up to today's leaders. he was speaking after he received the prestigious charlemagne prize. >> an award for contributions to european unity, a topic very close to presidents emmanuel macron's heart. many of the dignitaries attending the sarah more had warm words for macron, including chancellor angela merkel. she said she shot macron was the perfect recipient for the prize. >> he knows about it. he has a clear vision of how europe should move forward, and emmanuel macron has the capacity to inspire others in the service of europe. >> macron referred to global conflicts and stressed the need for calm in the middle east. >> we know we are facing an

extremely situation there. this is really about war and peace as the recent escalation shows. i can only call on all participants to exercise restraint. >> in his acceptance speech, macron urged the nations of europe to rise in unison to the challenges they face. >> in difficult times, the temptation to be nationalistic is big. to close ourselves in. and to think that on a national level it is easier to master challenges and to find our sovereignity. because on the european level it is still fragile. >> and the french president spoke of the importance of the franco-german partnership. >> in france many people tell us go gionta germany. this is the solution. germany is old. they don't taiwan to reform europe. they only want to benefit from

europe. i know this is wrong, and i am never going to listen to that lemahieu takes. >> merkel agreed with the sentiments. she reaffirmed her sentiment. the real task for the french president, however, is to persuade his skeptics. >> all right. daniel is here with business news. we are going to talk about google, astounding tech fans with announcement of this new artificial intelligence feature. >> how would you like a secretary on hand 24/7. that is what google wants to do. google's annual developers conference is wrapping up tonight. the tech giant has once again used the event to give the world a taste of things to come. google wowed the plan r- crowd with a planned update to its digital assistant which will soon be able to take care of appointments by booking its own phone calls.

>> google homes its assistant will soon replace sexting around the world. as their annual conference, the c.e.o. showed what he claimed was the next generation. the first voice you here is google's assistant. >> high, i would like a table for seven. >> for seven team? >> it is for four people. >> four people? when? today, tonight? >> wednesday at 6:00 p.m. >> a cell phone making reservations for its users? google is calling it project duplex and is one example of how they could improve user experience. they are taking advantage of powerful new processers, adapting algorithms and cellular . >> they will sound more realistic and carry out more

actions for users. meaning using a cell phone could use like this. >> hey, google, book a table for four. >> call my brother. >> hey, going, call my brother. >> can you text care for me. >> hey google, who just texted me? >> but it extends beyond the global division. they say the technology will streamline their g-mail, photos and other desk top. >> apple has sheffield its plans for an 850 million euro data center. the company cites an ongoing three-year court battle with activists for the reason. they were concerned about the environmental impact of the season. apples promses to make good any damage done and power the center with renewable energy could not save the project in the end. brent crude surged to over $78 per barrel before settling lower

on thursday. it is hovering near its highest level since 2014. that is as u.s. rasp either up tensions with iran. but opec will not ramp up production to help with supply. they said it would take time. buyers of iranian oil will have a six-month purchases due to the u.s. sanctions. we are seeing an urshela trend right now. both stronger dollar makes more expensive to buy oil, so the price drops. what is going on here? >> it certainly is a very unusual trend. usually, as commodities like oil are traded, as the value of the dollar increases, that makes it more expensive for foreign

investors to buy the commodities. demands get a bit slower, and that puts pressure on commodity prices. what we are seeing is there is all this inflation talk going on that is driving the dollar higher. investors expect more interest rates to come. on the other side, also special with all the talk the ran deal, we saw some increased pressure on oil prices on top of it. but most investors and analysts believe that someone has to give , either the dollar or oil so people are not really expecting this to be a sustainable trend. >> quite a rare event then. from fossil fuel to renew jerseys though. while the u.s. as a country is backing away from wind, power and solar, california has decided to take on the responsibility for clean energy themselves. what can you tell us? >> it is a bold step. california decided that by 2020,

all new homes have to be equipped with slower power. that is interesting on one inside because this investment is going to cause home prices to increase by $8,000 to $12,000. we are at a stage where real estate prices are already high. but the proponents of this deal and decision are quite sure that with sustainable energy, solar energy, that the costs for energy will drop tremendously and therefore will pay out on the long-term. we did see reaction here on wall street because the stocks of all the solar companies, they gained quite a bit. first solar increasing by almost 5%. if you look at the u.s. overall, yes, fossil fuel is the big driver for the country. texas is the biggest producer of wind energy. >> thank you. and now to the potential for a

turning point in korean history. brent is here. >> that's right. it is going to start with a save the date tweet. an interview for the much anticipated summit between donald trump and kim jong-un. that summit will take place on june 12 in singapore. trump tweeted the announcement shortly after welcoming home three americans who had been released from detention in north korea. he described their release as a sign of good will from pyongyang. >> it was nearly 3:00 in the mourning, but the u.s. president and the first lady were on hand to greet the freed captives. it all happened in less than a day for at least three men. their release was the moment their families had dreamed of. >> thank you. it is a great honor. hopefully everything is going to

work out. we want to thank kim jong-un, who was excellent. they are three incredible people. i want to say this is a special night for the three really great people, and congratulations on being home. >> the three men are these. all are americans who were imprisoned in north korea for between one and two years for anti-state activities. the charges are widely seen as bogus. secretary of state mike pompeo made a 13 hour visit to arrange the summit between trump and kim jong-un. he also secured in men's release in the process. the country is notorious for its

harsh labor camps. >> we were treated in many different ways. for me, i had to do a lot of labor. but when i got sick, i was also treated by them. >> trump seems to think this is a sure sign that kim is ready to reconcile. he even thank the the nani leader for freeing the man. but kim is every bit as unpredictable as his american counterpart. it is difficult to say whether this will lead to peace. >> at least 44 people are dead and many more missing after a dam burst in kenya's rift valley on wednesday evening. homes were swept away as water rushed down a hillside. it submerged homes in a radius of two kilometers. kenya had been suffering from severe drought, but authorities say weeks of heavy seasonal

rains have overwhelmed the dam and caused it to burst. the rains have led to deaths of more than 100 people across kenya and displayed more than 250,000. many schools in the affected region have been submerged or are being used as shelters. katherine traveled to the hard-hit region of malindi on kenya's east coast, where says placed people there haven't just lost their homes. they say they have lost everything. >> another family arrives at one of the shelters, a remote area in kenya's coastal region. this camp is the temporary home of at least 2,it00 people from surrounding villages. a single mother of six arrived here two weeks ago. her family wallace evacuated by boat. there was little time to save their belongings. most of what they have is borrowed, including her children's textbooks.

>> i am a farmer, and i had my little piece of land. i would sell the crops from land to pay the school fees for my children. i have children in primary and secondary school. i also had a little shop, but that all went with the floods. it's all gone. >> christine's story reflects that of 5,000 people living in shelters in the region. many of them had just recovered from the severe drought that hit kenya last year. the local chief hopes that a majority will be able to return to their land and rebuild their lives. however, he is worried that some farm lands have been so badly affected that some people may not be able to harvest anything for seasons to come. he says weather extremes have worsened off the last deck eights. >> people say that this flood is

similar to the one that took place in 1961. this is the worst that the elders can remember. even the frequent el nino rainfalls we get here don't compare to what is happening at the moment. >> all across the country, water sources have been contaminated by the sons. 30 help centers and thousands of homes have been damaged. the red cross says it needs about four million euros for water, food, shelter and sanitation support. the coastal region is one of the worst affected regions. aid agencies warn of the high risk of cholera outbreaks and malaria. the situation could get worse given that the rains don't seem to be letting up any time soon. >> back at the camp, christine's children can't wait to return to school. but it is not clear if the schools in the region will open

again, and christine has no idea how she will afford the fees for their next term. >> you are watching dw news live from berlin. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. i hope to see you then.

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